Sol 6.1

  1. أصَحُّ عيونِ البابلّيةِ ما اعْتَلاّ

    وأمضَى سُيوفِ اللّحْظِ في القَلْبِ ما كلا

    The soundest eyes of the Babylonian woman are those that ail,

    and the keenest swords of the glance in the heart are those grown blunt.

  2. ولا غَرْوَ أن تُمسي الرّياحُ عليلةً

    إذا ما جعَلْناهُنَّ ما بَيْننا رُسْلا

    It is no wonder that the winds become ailing

    when we make them messengers between us.

  3. لقد شَهِدَتْ أنفاسُها إذْ تَردَّدَتْ

    بأن لَقِيتْ عنّا بألحاظِها شُغْلا

    Their breaths testified, as they came and went,

    that, through her glances, they had found a burden on our account.

  4. أيَنْجو صَحيحٌ وهْو سالِكُ مَنْزِلٍ

    تُديرُ المَها في جَوّه الحَدَقَ النُّجْلا

    Can a healthy man escape unharmed while passing through a dwelling

    where oryx turn their wide eyes in its air?

  5. ألا خَلِّياني يا خَليليَّ واعْلَما

    إذا لُمْتُما أنْ ليس عَذْلُكما عَدْلا

    Leave me alone, my two friends, and know,

    when you blame me, that your reproach is not just.

  6. دَعاها وقلبي المُستهامَ وطَرْفَها

    فما مِثْلُه يَسلو ولا مِثْلُها يُسْلَى

    Leave her alone, and my love-crazed heart, and her gaze:

    a heart like mine cannot forget, nor can one like her be forgotten.

  7. لقد عَذُبَ التّعْذيبُ منها لمُهْجَتي

    كَذاكَ من الخَمْرِ المَرارةُ تُسْتَحْلَى

    Her torment has become sweet to my heart's blood;

    likewise, the bitterness of wine is found sweet.

  8. يَبُلُّ البُكا خَدِّي وفي القلبِ غُلّتي

    وكم مُطِرَتْ أرضٌ شَكتْ غيرُها المَحْلا

    Weeping wets my cheek, while my thirst remains in my heart;

    how often one land receives rain while another complains of drought!

  9. سأبعُدُ عن قلبي وآمَنُ لَحْظَها

    وذو الحَزْمِ مَن خَلّي معَ الهدَفِ النَّبْلا

    I shall distance myself from my heart and be safe from her glance;

    the prudent man leaves the arrows with the target.

  10. وأهْجُر أيدي الغانياتِ نواعِماً

    وأعتاضُ عنها أذْرُعَ النُّجُبِ الفُتْلا

    I shall forsake the soft hands of beautiful women

    and exchange them for the sturdy forelegs of noble camels.

  11. فكمْ غايةٍ للمجدِ مُمْتدَّةِ المدَى

    مَلكْتُ إليها للجَديليَّة الجُدْلا

    How many a goal of glory, stretching far into the distance,

    have I sought, gripping the twisted reins of Jadiliyyah camels!

  12. وحاجةُ نَفْسٍ ماطَل الدَّهْرُ دُونَها

    فباتَتْ تُقاضِيها المَطِيّةَ والرَّحْلا

    And a desire of the soul that time delayed fulfilling—

    my soul spent the night demanding it of mount and saddle.

  13. جَمعْتَ لها شَمْلَ السُّرَى بشِمِلَّةٍ

    تَظَلُّ إذا كفكَفْتُها تَسبِقُ الظِّلاّ

    You mustered night travel for it with a swift she-camel,

    who still outstrips the shadow when I rein her in.

  14. إذا ما خطَتْ خَطّتْ يداها بجَمْرةٍ

    لِما طالعَتْ من كُلّ مُشْكلةٍ شَكْلا

    Whenever she steps, her forelegs trace with an ember

    a figure for every perplexity she encounters.

  15. وليلٍ كأنّ الصُّبْحَ هامَ بحُبِّه

    فقبَّل منه الوجهَ واليدَ والرِّجْلا

    And a night as though dawn were madly in love with it,

    and kissed its face, its hand, and its foot.

  16. إذا شئْتَ رَدَّ اليومَ في مثلِ لَونِه

    وغادَر حَزْنَ الأرضِ يَلْقَى السّما سَهْلا

    If you wished, it would turn day to its own color

    and leave the earth's rugged ground meeting heaven as a level plain.

  17. وإن وقَعتْ في صَدْرِهِ شُهُبُ القَنا

    تَملَّس من أطرافِها وحبَتْ عَجْلى

    If the meteors of spears fell upon its breast,

    it slipped free of their tips, and they crawled swiftly onward.

  18. وشَمسٌ قُبَيْلَ الصُّبْحِ أطلعْتُ طَلْعةً

    إذا اكتحَلَ الحادي بلأْلائها ضَلاّ

    And a sun I brought into view just before dawn—

    when the camel-driver uses its gleam as kohl, he loses his way.

  19. إذا حَلّتِ الأيدي تَسرَّعَ نَشْرُها

    فَحلَّ المُنى في القلب واعْتقَلَ العَقْلا

    When hands unseal it, its fragrance swiftly spreads,

    releasing wishes in the heart and fettering reason.

  20. فإن لَبِسَتْ عِقْدَ الحَبابِ حَسِبْتَها

    شَقيقةَ رَوْضٍ في الضُّحَى مُلِئَتْ طلاّ

    If it wears a necklace of bubbles, you would think it

    a garden anemone, filled with dew in the morning.

  21. دَعوْتُ أُصَيْحابي إليها فأسرَعوا

    وأُقدمُ وَحْدي يومَ أُدْعَى إلى الجُلّى

    I invited my dear companions to it, and they hurried;

    yet I advance alone when summoned to a great ordeal.

  22. على أنّني أرعَى ذِمامَ مَعاشرٍ

    يَوَدّونَ لو سَدُّوا على نَفْسيَ السُّبْلا

    Though I safeguard the obligations owed to companions

    who wish they could block every path before me.

  23. أَباعِدُ في زِيِّ الأقاربِ لم يَزَلْ

    لها السُّخْطُ منّي نِيّةً والرِّضا فِعْلا

    Strangers in the garb of relatives: there has always been

    resentment toward them in my intent, but goodwill in my deeds.

  24. إذا قطعوا في القُرْبِ واصَلْتُ في النّوى

    وجازيْتُ قَومي عن قَطيعتِهم وصْلا

    When they sever ties nearby, I maintain them from afar,

    repaying my people's estrangement with connection.

  25. ولم أغتربْ إلاّ لأكتسبَ الغِنَى

    فأسِقيَ منهمْ كُلَّ ذي ظَمأٍ سَجْلا

    I went abroad only to acquire wealth,

    so I might give each thirsty one among them a brimming bucket.

  26. ويَعْلو الغمامُ الأرضَ من أجْلِ أنّه

    يَسوقُ إليها وهْي لن تَبرحَ الوَبْلا

    The clouds rise above the earth because

    they drive downpours toward it, while it never leaves its place.

  27. إذا ما قضَتْ نَفْسي من العِزِّ حاجةً

    فلستُ أُبالي الدَّهرَ أمْلَى لها أمْ لا

    Once my soul has fulfilled a desire for honor,

    I care not whether time grants it longer life or not.

  28. وقاتَلْتُ أحداثَ اللّيالي تَجارِياً

    فَقتَّلْتُها عِلْماً وقَتّلْنني جَهْلا

    I fought the vicissitudes of nights, vying with them;

    I slew them with knowledge, and they slew me in ignorance.

  29. وما زِلتُ قِرْنَ الهمِّ في طاعة النُّهَى

    فَجرَّد من شَيْبي على مَفْرِقي نَصْلا

    I have remained sorrow's adversary, obedient to reason;

    so from my gray hair it drew a blade upon my crown.

  30. ولو غيرُ مَنْصورٍ غدا وهْو ناصِري

    لأضحَى دَمي في حَرْبِ دهري وقد طُلاّ

    Had anyone other than Mansur become my champion,

    my blood would have gone unavenged in my war with time.

  31. ولكنْ نفَى هَمّي بغُرّة وَجْهِه

    فتىً صُقِلَتْ للمجدِ أخلاقُهُ صَقْلا

    But he banished my sorrow with the radiance of his face—

    a young man whose character was thoroughly polished for glory.

  32. حكَى الغَيثَ للعافي نَدىً وأيادياً

    فأنّى تَلقّاهُ تَهلّلَ وانْهَلاّ

    He matched the rain in bounty and favors for the suppliant;

    wherever you meet him, he beams and pours forth.

  33. إذا سأَلوه مالَه لم يَقُلْ إلى

    وإن سأَلوهُ كُلَّه لم يَقُلْ إلاّ

    When they ask him for his wealth, he never says, 'Until...';

    and if they ask for all of it, he never says, 'Except...'.

  34. بَليغٌ إذا أَرخَى عِنانَ كلامِه

    فأكملُنا مَن ظَلّ يَكتُبُ ما أمْلَى

    Eloquent, when he slackens the reins of his speech,

    the most accomplished of us keeps writing what he dictates.

  35. مُعوِّدَةٌ أن تَنْثُرَ الدُّرَّ كَفُّه

    لنا الكَلِمُ الأعلَى منَ القلَمِ الأعلى

    His hand is accustomed to scattering pearls:

    for us, the loftiest words from the loftiest pen.

  36. بناتُ عقولٍ تُجتلَى من لسانه

    خلَصْنَ لأسماعٍ تَمُرُّ بها عُقْلا

    Daughters of intellect, unveiled from his tongue,

    they reach ears, passing through them in fetters.

  37. بهَرْنَ فُلولاً ما بهِ من دِيانةٍ

    لَخِلْناهُ قد أَوحَى بها سُوَراً تُتْلَى

    They dazzled; were it not for the piety within him,

    we would have thought he had revealed them as chapters to be recited.

  38. وما الدُّرُّ إلاّ ما حوَى وحوَت له

    يَدٌ وفَمٌ مِمّن رَواها أو استَمْلا

    Pearls are only what is gathered and preserved for him

    by the hand and mouth of one who recites his words or takes his dictation.

  39. ولولا سَجايا طَبْعِهِ السّمْحِ لم نَجِدْ

    لأَعوزِنا في القَصْدِ أنْ يَجْتني الفَضْلا

    Were it not for the qualities of his generous nature, we would find no means

    for our neediest, in seeking him, to harvest bounty.

  40. وما الرّوضُ مُلْتفّاً من الزّهْرِ حالياً

    نُصادِفُهُ إلاّ معَ الغيثِ مُنْهَلاّ

    And a garden, dense and adorned with flowers,

    we encounter only when rain falls in torrents.

  41. لئن تَطْلُب الأيّامُ منه بثَأْرِها

    لقد قتَل الأيّامَ من عِلْمِه قَتْلا

    If the days seek vengeance from him,

    he has indeed slain them utterly with his knowledge.

  42. ومثْلُ وجيهِ المُلْكِ في عُظْمِ قَدْرِه

    وما قُلْتُها من حيثُ أنّ له مِثْلا

    And one such as Wajih al-Mulk, so great in worth—

    I did not say this because he has an equal—

  43. أرَتْهُ من الأيّامِ عزّةُ نَفْسِه

    سَواءً بعَيْنَيهِ الوِلايةَ والعَزْلا

    his self-respect has shown him, amid the turns of time,

    appointment and dismissal as equals in his eyes.

  44. ولم يَبْقَ في هذا الزّمانِ تَفاخُرٌ

    بتَقليدِ أعمالٍ كما عُهِدَتْ قَبْلا

    There remains no cause for boasting in this age

    over appointment to offices, as was customary before.

  45. لقد غَدَتِ الأعمالُ أطواقَ أهلِها

    فأحسَنُ حَلْيٍ أن يُرَى في الوَرى عُطَلا

    Offices have become collars around their holders;

    thus the finest adornment is to appear among people unadorned.

  46. فعِشْ أبداً للمكرماتِ مُسلَّماً

    تَهبْ لِلّيالي كُلَّ ذَنْبٍ وإنْ جَلاّ

    So live forever, kept safe for noble deeds,

    forgiving the nights every fault, however grave.

  47. ولستُ أرَى دَهْري وإن ساء صَرْفُه

    لِذمٍّ وقد أمسَيْتُ من أهلِه أَهْلا

    I do not judge my age, though its turns be evil,

    worthy of blame, since I have become worthy among its people.

  48. أبا طاهرٍ يا أطهرَ النّاسِ شيمةً

    وأطهرَهُمْ نَفْساً وأطهرَهمْ أَصْلا

    Abu Tahir, purest of people in character,

    purest in soul, and purest in lineage!

  49. أتَتْني ابنةُ الفكْرِ التي قد هدَيْتَها

    إليّ على بُعْدٍ فقلتُ لها أَهْلا

    The daughter of thought came to me, whom you had guided

    to me from afar; I said to her, 'Welcome.'

  50. وقبّلْتُ منها موضعَ الأنمُلِ الّتي

    تَعلَّم منها هذه الدِّيَمُ الهَطْلا

    I kissed upon her the spot touched by the fingertips

    from which these steady rains learned to pour.

  51. وأنزَلْتُها منّي بأكرمِ مَنزِلٍ

    وآثَرتُها لو آثَرتْ بالهوَى البَعْلا

    I lodged her with me in the most honored dwelling

    and favored her, if she would favor a husband with her love.

  52. وتُوشِكُ أن تُبدِي من الهَجْرِ والقِلَى

    فأطرقْتُ منّي كسا ولا شَكْلا

    She was about to show signs of abandonment and aversion,

    so I lowered my head [the remaining wording is unclear in the supplied text].

  53. لقد أصبحَتْ من بَحْرِ كَفِّكَ دُرّةً

    بذَلْتَ وما زالتْ سَجِيَّتُك البَذْلا

    She has become a pearl from the sea of your palm,

    which you bestowed; giving has always been your nature.

  54. وإنْ طالَ تأخيرُ الجَوابِ لِعائقٍ

    إلى حينَ ضَمَّ الاتّفاقُ لها الشَّمْلا

    And though an obstacle long delayed my reply,

    until circumstance brought its scattered parts together,

  55. فما أنا بينَ النّاسِ أوّلَ مَنْ غَدا

    وقد طلَعتْ شَمسُ النّهارِ وما صَلّى

    I am not the first among people to rise

    when the daytime sun has risen, without having prayed.

  56. وهل هو إلاّ فائتٌ قد قَضَيْتُه

    فلستُ بنارِ العَتْبِ أَهْلاً لأَنْ أُصْلَى

    Is it anything but a missed prayer I have now made up?

    I do not deserve to be burned in the fire of reproach.

  57. وكانتْ كضَوء الصُّبْحِ قَدَّمْتَ وَفْدَه

    وجئْتَ وأنت الشّمْسُ في إثْره تُجْلى

    She was like the light of dawn, whose envoy you sent ahead,

    and you came, the sun, unveiled in its wake.

  58. رمَيْتَ فؤادي نازِحاً فأصبْتَهُ

    وبادَرْتَ باللُّقْيا فأحرزْتَه كُلاّ

    You shot at my heart from afar and struck it,

    and hastened to meet me, securing it whole.

  59. كما يَتْبَعُ الرّامي إلى الصَّيْدِ سَهْمَه

    لِيَلْحَقَه حتّى إذا جاءه ولّى

    Just as the archer follows his arrow toward the quarry

    to catch up with it, then turns away once he reaches it.

  60. فهذا اعْتذاري عن تَقدُّمِ هَفْوةٍ

    ورأْيُك في تجْريبِ ما بَعْدَه أعْلَى

    This is my apology for an earlier lapse;

    your judgment on testing what follows is the better one.